TGIF, Illinois, and thank you for being part of this wild and crazy family we call Illinois Playbook. I’m honored to count some of you as friends (and subscribers) and wish you all a happy and healthy 2022, Covid-19 be damned.
PROGRAMMING NOTE — Illinois Playbook will be on a two-week hiatus starting Monday. I’ll be back in your inbox on Jan. 3. Please stay in touch as I’ll still be reporting, just sleeping in a bit.
TOP TALKER
SCOOP: The head of a dark money group that helped defeat last year’s graduated income tax measure is behind a campaign to elect a Republican candidate to run against Gov. JB Pritzker in 2022. And the money behind the effort will come from billionaire Ken Griffin.
Mike Zolnierowicz, who was former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s first chief of staff, is working the levers of this operation, according to two Playbook sources. The former governor, however, is not involved. Zolnierowicz, or Mike Z, did not return a request for comment.
Interviews with potential candidates have been held in secrecy with Zolnierowicz. Word got out, however, that there’s interest in Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin to run for governor and state Rep. Avery Bourne to join the ticket as lieutenant governor. Neither returned requests for comment.
It’s part of a plan for Griffin to bankroll a slate of GOP candidates, reports Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore.
A source close to Griffin said the Citadel CEO has not met with any candidates and has not yet decided who he is going to support.
Griffin is clear about his concerns for Illinois. “We have real problems in Illinois with violence, corruption and profligate spending and I look forward to supporting candidates — be it Republican or Democrat — who will address these issues that plague our state,” he said in a statement to Playbook.
A source who spoke to Playbook about Mike Z, also said Griffin has committed $150 million to the campaign, which would match what Pritzker spent in his first run for governor.
Other media reports have attributed “multiple sources” as saying Griffin is willing to spend as much as $300 million in next year’s election.
Those numbers are all speculation, according to a source close to Griffin. “The field for next year’s election hasn’t fully formed yet and Ken hasn’t made a decision. …There is also no spending number as there is no candidate.”
Still pining for Griffin’s support are the current field of candidates: state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo, and businessmen Gary Rabine and Jesse Sullivan.
ABOUT IRVIN: “In 2007, Irvin became the first Black male elected to the Aurora City Council as an at-large member, and held that post until his election as mayor. … In October, he laughed off a Tribune reporter’s question about a gubernatorial run or whether he had been in talks with Griffin. There are also questions about Irvin’s positions on social issues that run counter to those held by the GOP base.” He has said he supports abortion rights, immigrant rights, and implementing sanctuary city-style policies for immigrants who lack legal status, reports Tribune’s Rick Pearson.
ABOUT TODD RICKETTS: The Cubs co-owner “had previously announced he would not run for governor. But asked about that possibility [Thursday], his spokesman discouraged, but did not rule out, such a possibility, saying, ‘Ricketts has no current plans to run for governor,’” reports Crain’s Greg Hinz.
THE BUZZ
Covid, climate change, and corruption aside, 2021 was a hopeful year in Illinois. Cheers to the playbookers who made it all happen and a few “gifts”/jokes to make you smile:
For Gov. JB Pritzker: The chance to read his name the way he prefers from now on in POLITICO. We have (finally) dropped the periods from JB (this one is actually real, btw). We’ll also throw in a 2023 pre-order of gold-plated measuring tape… you know, for sizing up the drapes at a fancy place in D.C.
For Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot: Not that we condone name-calling, but a purple leather suit she can don when she’s in the mood to write some spicy emails. She could sign them: “Lori Lightfoot Raw.”
For House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch: A copy of Michael Madigan’s little black book (on how to raise money for the caucus) — just for emergencies.
For Senate President Don Harmon: This T-shirt that reads “I might look like I’m listening to you but in my head I’m playing guitar.”
For Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle: A Greek language book (I have a few) to help keep her ahead on the next few variants as Covid persists and she’s still passing out masks and promoting vaccines.
For state Democratic Party Chair and Congresswoman Robin Kelly: Stationery for all the thank you notes she’ll be writing to those doing the fundraising for the state party — and for the FEC for freeing her from all those chicken dinner events.
For House Minority Leader Jim Durkin: A Michael Madigan-o-meter, so he can more easily rate how much the new speaker reminds him of his predecessor.
For Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie: Group meditation sessions to help prepare his caucus for weathering their positions on Donald Trump in an election year.
For Sen. Dick Durbin: A personal Illinois Playbook hotline to make sure he calls us before he blows up someone’s political career on local television. (OK, that’s really a present for us.)
For Sen. Tammy Duckworth: A nautical hat because it looks like it’s smooth sailing for her in 2022.
For Rep. Adam Kinzinger: A new suit for possible cable TV gigs, and a subscription to LinkedIn Premium.
For Rep. Marie Newman: If she gets reelected, a do-over on the congressional office lottery where she gets to pick her neighbors.
For the Chicago Black and Latino caucuses: A few white wards they can use to divvy up the city, wrap up the remap and call it a day.
For Ald. Marty “The General” Quinn: Artillery to fight against his opponents.
For Ken Griffin: Another billionaire who will spend big on Illinois politics. That way, if the GOP challenger to Pritzker doesn’t win, the blame gets spread around.
For Frank Calabrese: An all-access pass to his own “map room” so he can endlessly play with census data and district lines.
For Michael Madigan: A mug that reads “Political Job Creator” now that the roles he had for decades — 22nd District state rep, House speaker, and state party chair — are all held by different people.
State Reps. Marcus Evans and Ann Williams: A guide for installing solar panels, to help them keep selling their success in championing the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
For the Obama Foundation: A donor who funds a meeting space for Protect Our Parks on the presidential center grounds as a peace offering to those who oppose the center’s location. That seems very Obama, right?
Sports team owners Jerry Reinsdorf, Rocky Wirtz and Tom Ricketts: A copy of “It’s a Wonderful Life” featuring Neil Bluhm playing the role of Mr. Potter.
And for the first responders, nurses and doctors: Free massages to relax those weary heads and face muscles from all the eye rolling they’ve done when learning yet another patient is being hospitalized after refusing the vaccine.
Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: [email protected]
WHERE’S JB
No official public events.
WHERE’S LORI
No official public events.
Where’s Toni
No official public events.
Covid-19 Update
— Vaccine mandate upheld for Chicago firefighters, other city workers: “The mayor announced her controversial mandate in August, requiring that all city employees have until Dec. 31 to get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. But the unions successfully argued that their collective bargaining agreements gave them the right for arbitration over the matter,” by Tribune’s Alice Yin, Gregory Pratt and John Byrne.
— Chicago’s top doc ‘confident’ CPS won’t return to remote learning citywide, by WTTW’s Matt Masterson
— Getting the Covid-19 vaccine is a moral imperative, Cardinal Blase Cupich writes
SPOTLIGHT
ComEd has voluntarily offered to provide customer refunds of more than $21 million in wake of the investigation into the company’s pay-to-play scandal. The amount “includes all of the costs that were in customers’ rates for the compensation and benefits earned by the former ComEd executives charged as a result of the conduct described in our July 2020 deferred prosecution agreement,” CEO Gil Quiniones said in a statement provided to Playbook. The costs span a nine-year period, and ComEd has added interest to the refund, according to the statement.
“We took this additional step to ensure we are accountable to our customers and hold ourselves to a high standard of integrity as we cooperate with the investigation required by the state’s new clean energy law,” Quiniones added. “We’re committed to maintaining high standards of ethical behavior for our business, our leaders and every employee.” FULL STATEMENT HERE
CHICAGO
— A mini ‘Eiffel Tower,’ thousands of jobs and a jackpot for the city: Developers make pitches for a casino: “The casino race comes down to three main bidders vying to land the casino that is expected to eventually rake in around $1 billion per year,” by Sun-Times’ Mitchell Armentrout.
… Check out the presentations of each team, via Crain’s A.D. Quig.
— Lightfoot cleared of ‘purposeful concealment’ in probe of city’s response to botched police raid: “The report largely clears Lightfoot and the city of any intentional, malicious actions to conceal the video or cause further harm to Young. It also concludes that the mayor’s comments that she was not aware of the incident was due to the fact that she forgot, and her staff did not fact check statements she made to the media,” by WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel.
… Officials failed to ‘adequately consider’ Anjanette Young’s ‘dignity,’ according to the report, by Tribune’s Gregory Pratt
— Chicago has exceeded 800 homicides in 2021: “By Wednesday, 812 people had died by homicide in the city, 5.5 percent more than last year through that date, according to the records, including decades of data obtained through an open-records request to the office. With two weeks remaining in 2021, the homicide count is already higher than any year since 1996, when there were 856 as the crack epidemic started to lose steam,” by WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell.
— City ‘at a crossroads’ because of rising crime, skyrocketing commercial property taxes, business leader says, Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman reports.
— Lightfoot’s plan for healthy drink options for kids is already taking effect thanks to new Illinois law, by Tribune’s John Byrne
THE STATEWIDES
— Abortion by mail: FDA allows direct shipment of abortion pill to patients in Illinois: “Women can now terminate a pregnancy without leaving home by mail-ordering abortion pills, a new means of accessing abortion care that’s recently gained a footing in many states — including Illinois — as reproductive rights become increasingly under fire across large swaths of the country,” by Tribune’s Angie Leventis Lourgos.
— Schools increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting, bomb threats, by The Associated Press
— Pritzker interview: Governor talks about Covid-19, climate change, criminal justice, and more on Illinois Public Media with Brian Mackey.
— Illinois students missed a lot of school last year: “It’s a sign that something isn’t working.” Chalkbeat’s Samantha Smylie reports
— Kwame Raoul announces partnership with National Child Identification program, by Dave Dahl for WJBC
COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS
— Kaegi: Reassessment means ‘more money will be staying on the South Side’: “Because his office has addressed the systemic under-assessment of downtown properties, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi said Hyde Park Township property owners will be less regressively taxed than they have been in the past decade after this year’s reassessment of property values,” writes Hyde Park Herald’s Aaron Gettinger.
… INVESTIGATION: Years before Kaegi was elected, his office gave tax breaks to dead mobster, by Sun-Times’ Tim Novak, Lauren FitzPatrick, and Caroline Hurley
— State rejects Arlington International’s OTB parlors, by Tribune’s robert McCoppin.
— Evanston Township High School students spent hours on lockdown after 2 guns found, Pioneer Press’ Brian Cox reports
CAMPAIGN MODE
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Democratic secretary of state candidate Alexi Giannoulias has been endorsed by the Amalgamated Transit Union Illinois Joint Council Board, representing 20,000 members in Illinois, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which has 12,500 members in the state. Deborah Cosey-Lane, president of ATU in Illinois, said Giannoulias, “represents the best chance to win next November.” And IBEW 134 business manager Donald Finn said Giannoulias would “fight for voter rights, increase job opportunities and ensure fair wages for working men and women.”
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Democrat Anna Valencia has been endorsed by several Will County Democratic elected officials in her race for secretary of state. The slate of women leaders include: state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel (49th), Assistant House Majority Leader Natalie Manley (98th), Will County executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, and Will County Clerk Lauren Staley-Ferry. “We need someone in this office who can be a steadfast voice for our collar counties, which makeup a critical piece of a growing electorate in Illinois,” Cappel said in a statement. “I know Anna Valencia can be that voice.”
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Grayslake Democrat Sam Yingling, a state rep, is running for the 31st District state Senate seat. Sen. Melinda Bush, who holds the seat, announced earlier this week she wouldn’t seek re-election. Out of the gate, Yingling also has tapped key endorsers: state Rep. Joyce Mason, Zion Mayor Billy McKinney, Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim, and state Rep. Rita Mayfield.
— SCOOP: Watch for former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti to announce she’s running for DuPage County clerk.
— State Rep. Davidsmeyer will seek re-election: “Longtime state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer has announced that he will seek re-election next year in the 100th District, despite it being redrawn by majority Democrats to slice out his hometown,” by the Telegraph’s David C L Bauer.
— Republican state Rep. Amy Elik announced her re-election campaign for the 111th District, she said in a statement.
— Planned Parenthood Action Fund is hedging its bets and endorsing both Reps. Sean Casten and Marie Newman in their bids for the 6th Congressional District.
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: State Rep. Will Davis (30th) is running for the 2nd Congressional District Democratic State Central Committee seat that opened up when state Rep. Al Riley announced last month he wouldn’t seek re-election for the position.
…SWAMP THINGS…
“It was not worth it” | Two downstate men sentenced to probation in Capitol breach: “Douglas Wangler, 53, and Bruce Harrison, 58, both of the Danville area, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a misdemeanor count of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds,” by Tribune’s Jason Meisner.
DAY IN COURT
Judge tosses suit from Oak Lawn school board member, congressional candidate v. Pritzker school mask mandate, by Cook County Record’s Scott Holland
Reader Digest
For Jan. 3, what’s your New Year’s resolution related to politics? Email to [email protected]
THE NATIONAL TAKE
— Schools increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting, bomb threats, by The Associated Press
— Biden concedes Build Back Better bill won’t get passed this year, by POLITICO’s Alex Thompson
— Senate parliamentarian rejects latest Dem proposal on immigration, by POLITICO’s Marianne LeVine
— GOP blows off Trump’s bid to oust McConnell, by POLITICO’s Natalie Allison and Burgess Everett
— POLITICO’s 21 magazine stories that explain 2021
TRANSITIONS
— David Adeleye joined the Government and Regulatory Affairs practice of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP as an attorney. Adeleye served in the Obama administration at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and Department of Homeland Security. He also worked as a law clerk on Sen. Dick Durbin’s judiciary committee staff.
— Michael L. Morkin has joined Venable LLP as a partner in the litigation practice of its Chicago office. Morkin also previously was a managing partner at Baker & McKenzie and has served as an adviser with World Business Chicago.
— Paulina Garga-Chmiel is senior counsel at Dykema in the law firm’s financial services litigation group. She previously was co-chair of Chuhak & Tecson’s diversity and inclusion council.
— Brittany Masalosalo is head of government relations at HP Inc. technology business. She most recently was head of international government affairs and public policy at 3M.
— Gail Morse, a partner at Jenner & Block, has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to its committee on professional responsibility and reappointed to the court’s committee on equality.
TRIVIA
THURSDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Christina Rivero, legislative liaison for the Cook County Board president, for correctly answering that Abraham Lincoln saw 31 cases decided in his favor of the 51 he handled before the Illinois Supreme Court.
TODAY’s QUESTION: Who hosted the 1886 Mikado Ball, which legend has it was the greatest of all New Year’s celebrations? Email to [email protected]
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Today: State Sen. Julie Morrison, state Rep. Chapin Rose, former Rep. Dan Burke, McCormick Foundation board member Don Wycliff, and Wall Street Journal reporter Bob Tita.
Saturday: New Trier Township supervisor Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg, and Playbooker Sarah Willson.
Sunday: state Sen. Ram Villivalam, state Rep. Anna Moeller, Cook County Circuit Judge Beatriz Santiago, lobbyist John Borovicka, and Hotels magazine managing editor Barbara Bohn.
Monday: state Appellate Judge Bertina Lampkin, and Cook County Circuit Judge Andrea Webber.
Tuesday: White House small business adviser Michael Negron, state Senate Democratic staffer Ken Lowe, Cozen O’Connor lobbyist Patrick Carey, Illinois Human Rights Commissioner Barbara Barreno-Paschall, and restaurateur Kevin Boehm.
Wednesday: Former Rep. Bill Lipinski, U.S. House chief receptionist Shonna Smith Jackson, Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund executive director Carlton W. Lenoir Sr., political consultant Kitty Kruth, Zapwater Communications CEO David Zapata, fashion exec Ikram Goldman, restaurateur Nick Kokonas, former Chicago Woman publisher Sherren Leigh, House staff assistant Mara Kelly, Illinois State Society of D.C. board member Joseph (J.T.) Varallo, and Ipsos deputy editor Kate MacArthur.
Thursday: state Sen. Steven Landek, state Rep. Randy Frese, and White House Correspondents Association executive director Steve Thomma.
Dec. 24: Ald. Michael Scott Jr., and Rep. LaHood legislative director Mary Ellen Richardson.
Dec. 25: state Rep. Natalie Manley, state Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, Chicago Illinois Federation of Teachers’ Stacy Davis Gates, and former Sun-Times columnist Bill Zwecker.
Dec. 26: Ald. Brendan Reilly, former Congresswoman Lynn Morley Martin, attorney and podcaster Exavier Pope, sports reporter Jarrett Payton, and e-commerce specialist Katie Benshoof.
Dec. 27: state Sen. Chapin Rose, and radio talk show host and former Congressman Joe Walsh.
Dec. 28: Appellate Court Judge Margaret Stanton McBride, former state Rep. Nathan Reitz, Evanston budget coordinator Kate Lewis-Lakin, former aldermanic candidate Leslie Fox, Democratic Socialists of America activist Melinda Bunnage, and former Ald. Ed Vrdolyak.
Dec. 29: state Rep. Marty McLaughlin, Ald. Ed Burke, former Illinois Senate Majority Leader James Clayborne, former state Rep. Sandy Cole, and William Blair’s Jim O’Connor.
Dec. 30: Rep. Michael Bost, former Kane County Board chair Chris Lauzen, GSV Ventures’ Deborah Quazzo, Illinois Policy Institute VP of comms Hilary Gowins, and Microsoft senior director of strategy Marlee McConnell.
Dec. 31: Cook County State’s Attorney chief of staff Alyson Miller, and Joyce Foundation VP of strategy Darren Reisberg.
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